1 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: Hey folks, Aaron here. Over the past six months, we've 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: dug up a lot of fascinating stories and gone on 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: an adventure that has spanned centuries. Honestly, who could have 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: imagined just how powerful the history of the American side 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,439 Speaker 1: show actually was. But that journey brings us to the 6 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: present and to a very important question. Where is the 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,239 Speaker 1: Side Show heading next? My teammates Robin and Taylor are 8 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 1: back today bringing you something a little bit different. Honestly, 9 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: it's a story that you don't want to miss. And 10 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: now on with the show. Hey Taylor, good to see 11 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: you over here. Hi friend, we meet again. So this 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: is the first time listeners are meeting you on the 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: side of the mic. It sure is. I am Taylor Haggerdorn, 14 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: producer over here. I've been lurking doing some research behind 15 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: the scenes through it this see in of Grim and 16 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: Mild Presents. So, Taylor, we are officially coming to a 17 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: close for this season. This last episode marks the end 18 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: of our sideshow story. It does, but but we've got 19 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,919 Speaker 1: some good news for everyone. Though we might be closing 20 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: out this season for Grim and Mild Presents, there's a 21 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: really big takeaway for us and for the listeners, The 22 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: physical side Show story isn't over yet. That's totally right. 23 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: So while this has been a history show, the side 24 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:34,479 Speaker 1: Show itself isn't history. It's still alive, it's still evolving, 25 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: and it really has proven itself to be this totally 26 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: dynamic institution that continues to shape itself in response to 27 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,479 Speaker 1: the current moment. I mean, even as we're recording this. Oh, 28 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: that's so true, and that reminds me. I got an 29 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: email the other day that I want to share with you. 30 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: So if you remember episode seven, we talked about Bloomington, Normal, Illinois, 31 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: is this really important training ground for acrobats from across 32 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: the world. But what we didn't get to talk about 33 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: in that episode is that Illinois State University, which is 34 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: based in Normal, Illinois, has the oldest and longest running 35 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,799 Speaker 1: collegiate circus in the United States. They've been performing since nine. 36 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: So this email that came in was announcing a return 37 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: to the Big Top this year for the first time 38 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: since COVID shut everything down. Oh. I love that. I 39 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: know you and I have both been wondering. We've been 40 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: talking about, you know, where we could go and experience 41 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: some of these things I've been learning about for the 42 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: past year. I mean, don't get me wrong, you know me. 43 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: I love books, and I love archives, and I love 44 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: being a general super sleuth. But what I really love 45 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: is getting up and close and personal to experiencing the 46 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: real deal. I couldn't have said about her. I feel 47 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: the exact same way. You know. Really, early on in 48 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: our research, I had been looking out for the real deal, 49 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: you know, thinking maybe there's this living person out there 50 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: who could help us tell the story not only where 51 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: the side show has been, but where it's going. And 52 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: then I sent you this piece that this Gale published 53 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: in Box. You know, as our project was evolving and 54 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: we started thinking, oh gosh, are we going to interview 55 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 1: folks for this? Who can we bring on to help 56 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: us tell this story? We just kept chatting about this piece, 57 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: so it became evident that we just had to talk 58 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: to her. It's exactly right. So we called up the author. 59 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: We sure did so without further ado. We would love 60 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: to hear from Kim Kelly, which me, are you interested 61 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: in here? I'm a bunch of things. Kim's a journalist 62 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: and community organizer, but recently she's become someone new, freshly 63 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: minted down on the sandy shores of Coney Island. She's 64 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: conjured and alter ego by the name of Greta the 65 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: Lobster Girl. I've always been interested inside show history, just 66 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: because they've always been interested in human history, you know, 67 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: especially in like the weirder dustier corners. Of course, you 68 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: know Sid has fed the bill now, I know that 69 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: you can't see her, but Kim's inked just about head 70 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: to toe. She's got a guillotine, a lit match, a 71 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: Molotov cocktail. She's all tatted up in a way that 72 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: would make any union buster quiver. But though she's tattooed 73 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: all over, she still had some prime real estate left 74 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: to fill. So she found herself a tattoo artist and 75 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,600 Speaker 1: got to work that there for four and a half 76 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: hours and get a big old lobster etched into my ribs. 77 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: Kim was born with extrodactility. It's the same genetic mutation 78 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,600 Speaker 1: carried by the Styles family, the Lobster family from our 79 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 1: last episode. About one out of every nine babies is 80 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: born with it. It often causes limbs to fuse and truncate, 81 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,359 Speaker 1: but it affects everyone differently. For Kim, that means she 82 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,039 Speaker 1: was born with eight fingers, with two of her digits 83 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 1: on her left hand merged into one. Once I learned 84 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 1: how to paint my nails like, it's fine, and I'm 85 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 1: still pretty good at paint in my nails as long 86 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: as I have you know, oh cute tip with no abolish, 87 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:00,159 Speaker 1: but everyone needs that. Growing up in New Jersey, she 88 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: lived in a tiny working class community and went to 89 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: school with the same handful of kids until she was 90 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: a teenager. And as a kid, her claw was a 91 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: non issue. When you're around the same kids for the 92 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,720 Speaker 1: first half of your life, everyone just got over it. 93 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: I mean, it wasn't really that interesting because I saw 94 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: like it was doing everything they were. The thing is, 95 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: I did never made a big deal out of it, 96 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 1: because I was like, well, this is well, what do 97 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: you want? You want me to grow more? I tried 98 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 1: and life was pretty good, but becoming a teenager is 99 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:29,679 Speaker 1: never that easy. She eventually went to a new school, 100 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,479 Speaker 1: and there she had to confront a whole flock of 101 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: new faces, teachers and students who probably meant well but 102 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: weren't quite sure how to accommodate her. I was just 103 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: trying to figure out how to fit in, and I 104 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 1: had to go to typing class and I sat down 105 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: and I was like, oh, this is gonna be a problem. 106 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 1: I went up to the T shirt and was like, hey, 107 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: I can't do this and just kind of like waggled 108 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: my fingers at her and she looked shell shocked, like 109 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 1: oh um okay, Like, well, we'll figure this out. And 110 00:05:57,279 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: the accommodation that they offered was like, okay, well you 111 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: can sit off to the side and like you can 112 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: look at the keyboard for tests. I basically bullied them 113 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,480 Speaker 1: into letting me drop the class and do homemak instead. 114 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: So then I just spent the rest of the year 115 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: using the sewing machines to alter my band T shirts. 116 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,479 Speaker 1: Worked out great. She eventually made her way out of 117 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: New Jersey and into the world. She hung around in 118 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: the metal scene, touring as a roadie before signing a 119 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: lease in New York City. She was working as a writer, 120 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:27,120 Speaker 1: getting byelines from big name publications on topics ranging from 121 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: music to labor rights to disability issues and sometimes you 122 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: should know work and play intersect for Kim in really 123 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:39,159 Speaker 1: amazing ways. It was her partner, her Coney Island Baby 124 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: as she calls him, who told Kim something really interesting. Now. 125 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:48,839 Speaker 1: Remember that old saying about running away to join the circus, Well, 126 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: at one time there was a lot of truth to it. 127 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: People did indeed do that, but Kim didn't need to 128 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: take any drastic measures to get a taste of that 129 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: circus life. Instead, herner told her that she could go 130 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: and roll inside shows school and one right in Coney 131 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: Island at that So Kim set her sights on enrolling, 132 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: and even better, she thought, if she could get paid 133 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 1: to do it. So she pitched the story and an 134 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: editor gave her the green light, and just like that, 135 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: it was go time. It was a muggy summer morning 136 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 1: on Coney Island. The air smelled like salt and hot 137 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 1: dog grease. Kim was sleepy, nervous, and didn't know what 138 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: to expect, and as it happens, she didn't have to 139 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: wait long to find out. I was definitely the only hustler. 140 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: They're handful of people. It was such a cool mix, 141 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: and some of them still in touch with There is 142 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: a husband and wife duo from I think Massachusetts there 143 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: and maybe they're fifties or something. They're retired and they're 144 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: just kind of daredevils. They're very cool, uh, there was 145 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: a magician's assistant from Colorado who had been doing amateur 146 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: fire eating and had managed to poison herself at one point, 147 00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: so she wanted to learn how to do it for real. 148 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: There was a magician from France. There was a chaos 149 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: magician from Chicago. Came in. Her classmates were welcomed in 150 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: by the head of school. At one point he was like, oh, now, 151 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: do we have any natural boards here? And I raised 152 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: my hand and never kind of turned looked to me 153 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: and were like, WHOA, And I don't think they've ever 154 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: had a natural born show up to take the classes. 155 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: She suddenly found herself sitting a little bit taller, like 156 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: it was the first sort of little lightning bolt moment 157 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: where it was like, oh, this is so in this 158 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,959 Speaker 1: strange little world, like I'm like, I'm coming out on top. 159 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:41,679 Speaker 1: While her hand never felt like much of a detriment here, 160 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: it was definitely an asset. This aspect of my existence 161 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: has always been a little bit of a thorn in 162 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: my side is actually regarded as something that's positive and desirable. 163 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: Even for the next week, she found herself working on 164 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 1: a bunch of new skills fire reading, sword swallowing, hammering nails, 165 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: upper nose, and setting mouse traps with her tongue, just 166 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:06,680 Speaker 1: to name a few. The difference between sideshow and magic 167 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: is this ship is real, like you're really sticking tenant 168 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: is a steel down your throat or putting a burning 169 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: torch in your mouth or walking on glass. You just 170 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 1: have to figure out the way to do it that 171 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:21,200 Speaker 1: it won't kill you. But it wasn't just the tease 172 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 1: of mortal injury that made this experience so exciting. It 173 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 1: was also the fact that Kim showed up here at 174 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 1: Coney Island at a pivotal moment in the history of 175 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: American entertainment. Coney Island isn't what it used to be. 176 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,599 Speaker 1: In fact, it's far from it. Coney Island is a 177 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: neighborhood in Brooklyn, but it was also once one of 178 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: the most famous amusement destinations in the world. It was 179 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,560 Speaker 1: Disney World before while Disney was out of diapers, and 180 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: the side show was a main draw. But the side 181 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: show as we remember it in this series has fallen 182 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 1: out of fashion in some of the most spectacular ways. Today. 183 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: The side shows, with all of the trains, the glitz, 184 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 1: the glamour, the larger than life characters have almost all 185 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 1: but disappeared. When I go to the circus today, I 186 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:11,319 Speaker 1: feel it akin to going to colonial Williamsburg, that it's 187 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:16,199 Speaker 1: as much a um, a step back in history, museum 188 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: piece as it is an actual form of entertainment. This 189 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 1: is Dr Robert Thompson, or Bob as he likes to 190 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: be called. I'm a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. 191 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: We still have traveling circuses, and we still have sideshows, 192 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:35,439 Speaker 1: but he says they're stuck in time. They just can't 193 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: compete anymore. I can get way better entertainment watching nine 194 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: episodes of squid Game in a row than I can 195 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:46,320 Speaker 1: watching a bunch of dogs jumping through hoops. I again 196 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: apologize to the circus industry. Bob studies the history of 197 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: mass entertainment television specifically, He's been doing this since the 198 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties, back when ABC, CBS and NBC Reigns, Supreme 199 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,680 Speaker 1: and weekly TV sides were a north star from millions 200 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,640 Speaker 1: of people. I can tease Bob about watching TV for 201 00:11:04,679 --> 00:11:07,679 Speaker 1: a living, and there's a lot of truth to it, 202 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: but his journey has been far more expansive. And here 203 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: you mean he is far from a professional couch potato, 204 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 1: he's a curious seeker, a professional time traveler. They quickly 205 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 1: became apparent. To understand television, you really had to understand 206 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: what had happened in radio. To understand radio, you had 207 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 1: to understand what happened in vaudeville. To understand vaudeville, you 208 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 1: had to understand what happened in the circus. That leads 209 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,240 Speaker 1: to the side show. The enduring appeal of the side show, 210 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: Bob says, was that you saw stuff there that you 211 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: just couldn't see anywhere else, and the fact that it 212 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: came straight to your hometown was a huge deal in 213 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: This formula worked for a really long time, But as 214 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:49,959 Speaker 1: the twentieth century ticked on, the American side show began 215 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: to lose its hold on our attention and to lose 216 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: its sparkle. The American entertainment diet was growing. There were 217 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: now more in different kinds of excitement and write in 218 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: our own homes too, And at the same time, conversations 219 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: around disability were beginning to change. Back in the heyday 220 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:10,320 Speaker 1: of the side show, you aren't necessarily going to see 221 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 1: disabled folks just kind of going about their day because 222 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: there are very few options for that day. You're either 223 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:21,000 Speaker 1: staying at home with relatives, or you're institutionalized, or maybe 224 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: you're able to participate in society if your disability was 225 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:27,440 Speaker 1: deemed acceptable. But really, the side show is one of 226 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: the very few options for people who are disabled to 227 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 1: work and get out in the world, and also for 228 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:37,439 Speaker 1: you know, people who weren't to see people disabilities out 229 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: in the world. Famously, disabled President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed 230 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: the Social Security Act, in which secured general welfare rights 231 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: for all Americans. Medicine has advanced as a disability rights 232 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: movement has made major gains. I think it's less yeah, 233 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: it's less exotic to see someone who's missing a couple 234 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 1: of bits and pieces on his stage. And in trying 235 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: to protect performers, laws started cropping up outlong human exhibitions. 236 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:10,160 Speaker 1: Often this caused willing performers to lose their livelihoods. As 237 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 1: all of these changes were implemented, Kim says, the general 238 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: public began to feel more conflicted about human spectacles. Not 239 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: only were they not sure if it was right to 240 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: go see them, the visitors weren't sure if they wanted 241 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 1: to be seen at the side show, and at the 242 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: same time, travel was becoming easier too, and more and 243 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,560 Speaker 1: more car more on our road than last year, and 244 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:36,720 Speaker 1: there will be more next year. Highways have been around 245 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 1: for a minute, but thanks to a federal push, we 246 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:42,680 Speaker 1: began to more seriously strive for roadway connectivity. In the 247 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:45,960 Speaker 1: post Second World War economic boom, people were taking to 248 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: the roads in flashy new cars, recreating harder and faster, 249 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:53,560 Speaker 1: and in greater numbers than ever before. By the late 250 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,239 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties, more than seventy five percent of American households 251 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:00,960 Speaker 1: owned a car. Starting in nineteen sixty seven, over forty 252 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 1: miles of interstate were constructed under the Federal Highway Administration. 253 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: People didn't have to wait until the circus train showed 254 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 1: up once a year. Now they could go find fun 255 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: on their own. But in all of that, in the slippery, 256 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: shifting tectonic plates of culture, one thing didn't change, the 257 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: acute truth that time and attention was money, something of 258 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:32,920 Speaker 1: course that P. T. Barnum had mastered. I think Barnum, 259 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 1: for the most part, really understood the sense that human 260 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:42,160 Speaker 1: beings liked to see things that would amaze them, and 261 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,960 Speaker 1: I suppose that's part of what defines us as humans 262 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:50,600 Speaker 1: is that we are curious and we are constantly looking 263 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: for new stimulation. Barnum's legacy is, as you know by now, 264 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:59,440 Speaker 1: really complicated, but we can't deny that he was in 265 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 1: the right at the right time to do what he did. 266 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:08,040 Speaker 1: What Barnum did was to simply bring together all kinds 267 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: of things that were happening in the relatively young country 268 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 1: of the United States in an era where industrialization, a 269 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: new technologies, new audiences coming from all over the world 270 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 1: in waves of immigration. All of that stuff was happening 271 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: at once, and his visionary DNA, the double helix of 272 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: fact and fiction that made him so rich and so infamous, 273 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:37,720 Speaker 1: can still be seen threaded throughout almost all of one 274 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: century media. In fact, the side show as pe Team 275 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 1: Barnum engineered it has simply relocated to our television sets 276 00:15:46,800 --> 00:16:04,880 Speaker 1: Enter Reality TV, SMI Jam, First Person Voted off the 277 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: Island Sorry. The genre has been kicking around since the 278 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:15,920 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties, and when it appeared, audiences loved the upclose 279 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:18,480 Speaker 1: and personal feel and the surprise element of it too. 280 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: They clung to the alert of authenticity that they felt 281 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 1: unscripted television could give to them. After all it was 282 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: a look into other people's lives, and it's gone through 283 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 1: many evolutions and mutations since then. Today, reality TV is 284 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: a veritable treasure trove of characters. Flip through the channels 285 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,240 Speaker 1: and you'll find every kind of head turner, from Island 286 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:42,320 Speaker 1: Castaways two Giant Cakes, from rich Housewives to supernatural huntings, 287 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: all with the press of a button. And these shows, 288 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 1: without a doubt, have long been starmakers. They've created fortune, 289 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 1: they've launched careers, and famously, as we saw in the 290 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: presidential election, even political campaigns and baked into this kind 291 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:03,600 Speaker 1: of TV is something Quintus actually barnems clever editing big personalities, 292 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:10,240 Speaker 1: dramatic storylines which altogether make for some pretty potent optical catnip. 293 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 1: I mean all this stuff that was completely fabricated from 294 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 1: start to finish, because once Barnum got ahold of you, 295 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: you may have been a real, living, breathing human being, 296 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: but you became the actor in a very complex fiction 297 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: of they're making not yours. When you agree to go 298 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 1: on Jerry Springer, when you agreed to go on the 299 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: Real World back then, you were essentially agreeing to be 300 00:17:40,119 --> 00:17:45,199 Speaker 1: an actual person going onto something called reality but you 301 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: were inserting yourself into a dramaturgical setting that someone else 302 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: was controlling. There's a whole genre of shows where the 303 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 1: body is center stage. Sometimes those bodies are being celebrated, 304 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: and sometimes they're suffering is put on display, and other 305 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 1: times it's somewhere in between. And maybe you've tuned into 306 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:10,119 Speaker 1: some of the programming yourself. You know My six Pound Life, 307 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:15,119 Speaker 1: My Strange Addiction, seven Little Johnston's, the Gypsy Sisters. On 308 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 1: these shows, the cameras work like a thousand electronic barnums. 309 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: They direct and even exploit our attention so that we 310 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,480 Speaker 1: see exactly what they want us to see. They brought 311 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 1: us into shock, into awe, and into amazement. And it's 312 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 1: worth acknowledging too that some of the people featured in 313 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,119 Speaker 1: these shows, such as Little People, Big World, are also 314 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: the executive producers. This gives them varying degrees of control 315 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,200 Speaker 1: over their stories. We can see them as modern day 316 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:42,800 Speaker 1: air as of performers like Lavinio, Warren Zip and Frank Lentini, 317 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 1: just to name a few. French philosopher Guide de Board 318 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 1: wrote that we live in a world united by our 319 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:51,640 Speaker 1: consumption of two d images. He is a term for this, 320 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: the society of spectacle. Here, he tells us our reality 321 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: has been fractured into pieces, pieces which in turn become commodities. 322 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:05,000 Speaker 1: We work hard at appear in a certain way every 323 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,520 Speaker 1: time we post for a selfie or agonize over the 324 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:11,919 Speaker 1: perfect caption we perform. Performance, of course, has always been 325 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 1: a part of social engagement, but it wasn't always captured 326 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: in two dimensions. Debor proposes that we have become a 327 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,639 Speaker 1: world of isolated people, united only through collective exposure to 328 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: the same pictures. Debor died, but his words still hit 329 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 1: close to home at a time when we live our 330 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 1: collective lives on the digital stage. You see long Gone 331 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: or the side show barkers, but we still use their language. 332 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:42,359 Speaker 1: We still have platforms. It's just that now instead of 333 00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: the bally shouting for attention above the crowd, we are 334 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 1: the ones doing the work. The folks who we all 335 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:53,440 Speaker 1: watch on these new pocket sized platforms Instagram, TikTok, YouTube 336 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: are becoming the main character of their own stories. As 337 00:19:57,080 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: gen Z likes to say, one person is no longer 338 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:02,919 Speaker 1: in charge of the narratives of many, as Barnum was 339 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 1: in the case of choice, heth and in the case 340 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: of Julia Pastrana, Sarkee Bartman, and countless other people who 341 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: became ensnared in the Traveling sideshow world. Creators, the performers 342 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:18,119 Speaker 1: are taking back control. They produce their own content, they 343 00:20:18,119 --> 00:20:20,959 Speaker 1: control their own storylines, and they make their own money. 344 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 1: And by they, I am very likely talking about you 345 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:30,000 Speaker 1: and me. In September of the Washington Post published the 346 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,720 Speaker 1: story of twenty two year old Coparanga Tatoyo, a woman 347 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:37,359 Speaker 1: from the Tattoo indigenous community deep in the Amazon Rainforest. 348 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,199 Speaker 1: Conaparanga is her own content. She posts about her day 349 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 1: to day life, her community, and her cultural traditions. Conaparanga 350 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:49,200 Speaker 1: has over six point four million followers, a sizeable audience 351 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 1: Barnum could have only dreamt of. People come to learn 352 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:55,159 Speaker 1: from her, They see things they haven't seen before, and 353 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: straight from the source. In the old school side show world, 354 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:01,919 Speaker 1: we've heard countless tales of Indigenou people being conscripted into labor. 355 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,439 Speaker 1: They've been given new names, wildly fabricated stories, and no 356 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,159 Speaker 1: exit plan. It's hard not to be struck by how 357 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,200 Speaker 1: much smaller our world has become. And now who gets 358 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,439 Speaker 1: to control of the story As viewers Bob says, this 359 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,520 Speaker 1: desire to have our attention captured is programmed into who 360 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:20,520 Speaker 1: we are. Human beings are always going to want to 361 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: be amused, and I think they're probably always going to 362 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 1: enjoy being amused more than they enjoy doing this stuff 363 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 1: that they have to do. So Uh, entertainment is always 364 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 1: going to be with us. I think entertainment, like sex 365 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:40,000 Speaker 1: and eating and keeping warm are is one of the 366 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 1: properties of things human beings are always going to be 367 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:47,399 Speaker 1: looking for. Kim, on the other hand, puts it more simply. 368 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,400 Speaker 1: I mean, hughes are pretty simple. From the dawn of time, 369 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: we wanted to see other people do crazy shit. If 370 00:21:57,520 --> 00:21:59,919 Speaker 1: you were alive today, I'd have my money on Barne 371 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,200 Speaker 1: being out in Palo Alto somewhere, trading in his coat, 372 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,119 Speaker 1: tails for a hoodie and caviare for red bull. He 373 00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:09,200 Speaker 1: would be knee deep in the trenches of attention economics, 374 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,440 Speaker 1: fine tuning those algorithms that riddle our brains with feel 375 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 1: good hits of dopamine. He would be making big money 376 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:18,119 Speaker 1: to keep us scrolling for our next fix, and he 377 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,359 Speaker 1: would be very very good at it too. Barnum was 378 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:24,120 Speaker 1: able to capitalize on our very human need for novelty, 379 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: and now we hold his legacy in the palm of 380 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: our hands. And as for the quite literal, quite physical 381 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 1: entity of the Side Show itself, it continues to evolve, 382 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:38,640 Speaker 1: and Kim is now part of that legacy. She would 383 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:40,639 Speaker 1: have stayed on at Coney Island Side Show had the 384 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:44,440 Speaker 1: pandemic not shuttered its doors, but she says, the form 385 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 1: and the community will continue to innovate as technology does 386 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:52,360 Speaker 1: it always has. Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, 387 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: performers have moved into more digital spaces, making a little 388 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 1: bit of magic in an otherwise dark time. I hope, 389 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:01,719 Speaker 1: and I think that there's always going to be an 390 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: Apple date to see something a little weird and see 391 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 1: something a little freaky. It's one thing to watch a 392 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,240 Speaker 1: performance on your laptop on your phone, but there's another 393 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 1: to feel the flames on your cheeks and see the 394 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: sweat pouring down someone's face when they're walking on glass. 395 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 1: Now you can't replicate that until that time comes again. 396 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,679 Speaker 1: Kim keeps busy. She hasn't been keeping up on her 397 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 1: new skills, but that's okay, yeah, right. All my nails 398 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 1: have gone all rusty this past year from my blockhead routine. 399 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,879 Speaker 1: I gotta guess some new nails, COVID casualties. What we 400 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:37,480 Speaker 1: do know to be true that whatever form the Sideshow 401 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 1: next takes and continues to take, the audience will be waiting. 402 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 1: It just might look a little bit different. But as humans, 403 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:47,880 Speaker 1: we just can't help ourselves. For better or for worse, 404 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:54,200 Speaker 1: we can't look away. This season of Grim and Mild 405 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,480 Speaker 1: Presents couldn't have happened without my troop of amazing colleagues, 406 00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:01,879 Speaker 1: including and not limited to, Taylor Aggernorn, Sam Alberty, Aaron 407 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,639 Speaker 1: Minky and her friends over at iHeart Media, Alex Williams, 408 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:09,400 Speaker 1: Josh Thane, and Jesse Funk. I'm Robin Minteer, your host 409 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,760 Speaker 1: today and writer and producer of the series. To learn 410 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: more about the side show, head on down to Coney 411 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:18,560 Speaker 1: Island or visit the P. T. Barna Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut, 412 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,600 Speaker 1: or even the Barnam Archives at Tufts University. And while 413 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 1: you're there, go say hi to Jumbo. A special thanks 414 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:28,240 Speaker 1: to Casta Alba, Carl Nellis, Dr Bob Thompson, and Kim Kelly, 415 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,679 Speaker 1: who all helped give this season just a little more shine. 416 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,280 Speaker 1: But Grim and Mild Presents isn't over yet, and if 417 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 1: you stick around for just a few more minutes, we'll 418 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: give you a preview of what's ahead. Everyone loves a 419 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: good story, and since you're listening, chances are you're also 420 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: fond of pirates. From sailing the high seas and buried 421 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:03,359 Speaker 1: tre pisure to swilling rum and singing shanties, pirates have 422 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:06,840 Speaker 1: come to represent a lot about the human spirit. Through 423 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: the centuries, we've fallen in love with adventure, danger and exploration. Honestly, 424 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:17,040 Speaker 1: we never tire of hearing about pirate life. In Sweden, 425 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:19,680 Speaker 1: for example, there's a story that's been handed down from 426 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:24,160 Speaker 1: generation to generation, and like other pirate tales the world over, 427 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,360 Speaker 1: people love it so much they don't care whether it's 428 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,199 Speaker 1: true or not. The story goes that back in the 429 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,680 Speaker 1: fifth century, there was once a mighty Scandinavian king with 430 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:37,359 Speaker 1: a lovely daughter, young Princess a wildness. Beauty was such 431 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,679 Speaker 1: that her father, King Sanartis, locked her away in a tower. 432 00:25:41,119 --> 00:25:43,879 Speaker 1: For her protection, of course, and to ensure that no 433 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 1: ordinary man could easily scale the tower, he surrounded it 434 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:52,280 Speaker 1: with deadly snakes and traps. While many men failed. Prince 435 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: Alf of Denmark succeeded in breaching the castle and then 436 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:58,439 Speaker 1: asked the king for his daughter's hand in marriage, to 437 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 1: which the king agreed. They had a problem. Though the 438 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,920 Speaker 1: princess had vanished from the tower, you see, a Wilda's 439 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:09,879 Speaker 1: beauty was matched only by her feistiness and sense of independence. 440 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 1: With her mother's help, the princess had made her escape, 441 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:17,040 Speaker 1: accompanied by her strong willed handmaidens and other young women, who, 442 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,399 Speaker 1: much like the princess, were also promised to men they 443 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:24,160 Speaker 1: had never met. They dressed as sailors and made off 444 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,320 Speaker 1: with a ship, deciding to explore the world, and during 445 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: their travels, the women came across a pirate ship that 446 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:33,439 Speaker 1: had recently lost its captain. Enamored with a Wilda and 447 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 1: her crew, the men voted her to be their new leader, 448 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,719 Speaker 1: knowing that her father still searched for her. A Wilda 449 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 1: and the other women wore helmets to hide their long hair. 450 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,400 Speaker 1: The princess, pirates and her crew earned a fierce reputation 451 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 1: raiding many merchant ships on the Scandinavian seas, and like 452 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:54,879 Speaker 1: all pirates, they soon had a bounty on their heads. 453 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 1: The King of Denmark placed his son alf in charge 454 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,400 Speaker 1: of the navy sent him to eliminate the troublesome pirates. 455 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:06,200 Speaker 1: The prince quickly located them, and a great battle ensued. 456 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:09,639 Speaker 1: While his crew engaged with a Wilda's, he and the 457 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:14,359 Speaker 1: princess faced each other, swords drawn. They dueled, neither of 458 00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: them getting the better of the other. Having become impressed 459 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 1: with her rival and seeing something familiar about him, a 460 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: Wilda removed her helmet. The prince instantly recognized the princess 461 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:29,520 Speaker 1: and dropped to one knee to propose, which she accepted. 462 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,120 Speaker 1: Of course, the battle ended and a wedding took place instead. 463 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:37,399 Speaker 1: A Wilda's pirate ship and Alf's naval fleet returned side 464 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 1: by side to Denmark. The newlyweds were welcome to Denmark 465 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,159 Speaker 1: with a lot of fanfare. A message was sent to 466 00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 1: King Sanartis, who was also pleased with the marriage. A 467 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,359 Speaker 1: Wilda and Alf went on to have a daughter together, 468 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:52,760 Speaker 1: and it was said that she was just as beautiful 469 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:56,200 Speaker 1: and fierce as her mother, And when the king died, 470 00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,840 Speaker 1: the couple ruled long and well and all. Our fictional 471 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: introduction story is the stuff worthy of a Disney movie. 472 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 1: We're about to embark on a different sort of journey 473 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 1: a historical adventure into the most legendary real life rogues 474 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:19,200 Speaker 1: of the seas. I'm Aaron Mankey, and welcome two pirates.